Agitated Cavaliers respond: Cummings boys take out frustrations on BCA

Cummings High School's Tevin Smith shoots over Josh Folwell during Monday night's non-conference game as part of the Tony Perrou Classic.

Sam Roberts / Times-News

By Conor O'Neill / Times-News

Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 12:33 AM.

MT. HERMON — Burlington Christian Academy coach Brian Dehart told his team what to expect against Cummings High School.

Problem was, BCA knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it from the Cavaliers — a bitter team playing a little more than 48 hours after its first loss of the season.

Cummings blitzed BCA from the opening tip and never trailed Monday night, winning 77-57 in the nightcap of the Tony Perrou Classic at Southern Alamance.

“Oh yea,” said Cummings’ Tevin Smith when asked if the Cavaliers were angry going into the game. “We had to get the chip off our shoulder. This was like a rivalry game.”

Smith scored 14 points for Cummings (12-1) and Dedric Bowman led the Cavaliers with 17 points. Each combined to run the offense at point guard, with each dictating pace.

Cummings coach Chas Criss said his team came out with much more focus than had been the case in Saturday’s loss to Eastern Alamance.

“That (Eastern Alamance) game, I think it still bothers them a little bit,” Criss said. “The way we played, not the fact that you lost but how you lost, just no energy, no focus and let them dictate terms. I thought we did a much better job (Monday night).”

MT. HERMON — Burlington Christian Academy coach Brian Dehart told his team what to expect against Cummings High School.

Problem was, BCA knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it from the Cavaliers — a bitter team playing a little more than 48 hours after its first loss of the season.

Cummings blitzed BCA from the opening tip and never trailed Monday night, winning 77-57 in the nightcap of the Tony Perrou Classic at Southern Alamance.

“Oh yea,” said Cummings’ Tevin Smith when asked if the Cavaliers were angry going into the game. “We had to get the chip off our shoulder. This was like a rivalry game.”

Smith scored 14 points for Cummings (12-1) and Dedric Bowman led the Cavaliers with 17 points. Each combined to run the offense at point guard, with each dictating pace.

Cummings coach Chas Criss said his team came out with much more focus than had been the case in Saturday’s loss to Eastern Alamance.

“That (Eastern Alamance) game, I think it still bothers them a little bit,” Criss said. “The way we played, not the fact that you lost but how you lost, just no energy, no focus and let them dictate terms. I thought we did a much better job (Monday night).”

The improved focus showed from the beginning, when the Cavaliers used runs of 9-0 and 11-3 in the first half to take a 40-26 halftime lead, boosted into the locker room by Bowman’s buzzer-beating 3.

In the second half, Cummings expanded its lead to as many as 24 and never led by less than 11.

“We just came out and wanted to play hard for this game,” Bowman said. “It was a big game. We just wanted to come out here and get a win.”

Dehart said he knew Cummings would apply pressure on the defensive end and play its normally physical style.

“What I love about them is you know what they’re going to do, it’s just if you can hang on when they do it,” Dehart said. “They did it, and it worked (Monday night). That’s a good ballclub.

“We came out stagnant. I warned them that (Cummings’) physicality was going to play into the game. They came out very physical and we didn’t respond.”

But it was Jeffers — a standout at Cummings before transferring to BCA during the summer — who was limited to three points in the first half and struggled to find an offensive rhythm.

“They really honestly took us out of our offense. In the spurts that we played in our offense, statistically I think we’re in it,” Dehart said. “When we start trying to play ourselves, or our game and show what we can do. … BCA is a team. We have to have five guys in double digits to win.”

Cummings was also helped by 13 points from Quae Pinnix and 10 points from Josh Murray, who had six blocked shots. All three of Murray’s field goals were thunderous two-handed dunks.

But it was Pinnix who was instrumental early, scoring six points in the first quarter and setting a tone on the inside.

“Last couple games, we haven’t got Quae involved like we wanted to,” Criss said. “We wanted to try to get it to him early. Usually, he’s an energy kid for us. Always plays hard, the ball seems to find him. So we tried to get him going early.”